Brisbane Archbishop Emeritus Mark Coleridge will next month deliver the opening lecture of a monthly series sponsored by the Australian Catholic Historical Society. Source: The Catholic Weekly.
Archbishop Coleridge, a scripture scholar, will discuss how the Vatican II document, Dei Verbum, has influenced Biblical scholarship on Sunday, February 15.
The free lectures are held on the third Sunday of each month at 2 pm in the crypt of St Patrick’s, Church Hill, in Sydney.
Established in 1940, the ACHS promotes the study of how clergy, religious, lay persons and groups have shaped Australia’s Catholic history. It has its own online journal and YouTube channel.
The topics of this year’s lectures range from events in the late 19th century to reflections on contemporary issues.
They include the rise and fall of Catholic Scouting, the history of the Benedictine abbey at Jamberoo, and of Gregorian chant in Australia, the trauma suffered by frontline chaplains in World War I, and the work of the controversial Fr Ted Kennedy in Redfern.
Daniel Canaris will analyse Pope Leo XIV’s canon law thesis on leadership in the Augustinian Order and Fr Frank Brennan SJ will reflect on how Catholic bishops responded to the referendum on The Voice.
ACHS president Fr Brian Lucas said we have to learn from the past to appreciate our heritage.
“Some of the stories, particularly about people, can be a source of inspiration and encouragement,” Fr Lucas said.
“A very good story that The Catholic Weekly did recently on Jan Ruff O’Herne would be an example – somebody not very well known at all, but by telling the story, people can find encouragement and inspiration.”
The ACHS does not intend to present a sanitised, Pollyannish version of Church history, Fr Lucas suggested.
“Sometimes there are things that we would have preferred didn’t happen in the life of the Church. But we have to face the truth,” he said. “If things happen that we regret, then we should acknowledge that and not repeat the errors of the past.”
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Lectures on Australian Church history begin in Sydney (By Michael Cook, The Catholic Weekly)
